Hello friends and happy Friday! I was talking to my friend Agata this morning because she’s looking for a marble surface in her home and she loves my coffee table. And of course she asked me where I got it and I happily told her MYCS, a company in Germany that I just love and would shop from again and again. MYCS worked with me in 2018 on a little collaboration in which I received a lovely closet for my hallway to store jackets and things and my favorite piece of all - my white Carrara marble sofa table in my living room, shown below. Have you seen it!?! It’s one of my favorite pieces in my home at the moment.

I really love this sofa table, it’s beautiful and big, I can even shoot on it when my clients ask for something to be shown on a marble background so it doubles for work and for play. It’s also very sturdy and looks so pretty when I’m entertaining, especially if I lay out all of my pretty things on it - candles, string of lights, nuts, fruit, cheese, prosecco, stemware… THE perfect table for an girls party that okay, you always want to Instagram because everything looks so damn pretty when combined with white marble! Yes?!

AND good news for YOU. At the moment, this table “Beistelltisch” is 30% off and you can get it in many different variations, including brown and black marble, glass, wood, or 18 different solid colors and the base can also be changed to suit your wishes. I honestly want to buy extra tops in different colors so I can use it more for flat lays and shoots because the dimensions of this table are just perfect for photography and I take a lot of photos over the past two years than ever before.

As for the company itself, MYCS is just great - friendly, fast, their setup and delivery service is 100% professional and great, and I really like their price point and also how you can customize many of their products to suit your design and lifestyle. It’s affordable, functional, beautiful design for all budgets, but definitely NOT IKEA, it’s extremely well made so it’s perfect for when you are ready to graduate from IKEA systems and furniture and purchase lasting pieces that you’ll keep a lot longer. For instance, my IKEA closet is falling apart so I won’t replace it with an IKEA closet… When I am ready, I’ll replace it with a system like those that MYCS carries.

This is my exact closet from MYCS below (photo/room not mine):

I am so happy with my MYCS experience from start to finish and highly recommend this company to shop from for your home, it has my official Holly stamp of approval. :) ha ha. They also have 5 showrooms in Germany, one in Paris and another in Zurich. You can also shop their online site in the UK - or buy online from other European countries, of course.

In other news… It’s boiling hot in Germany right now, it was 104 yesterday, so I’m indoors blogging and working on a photo shoot for issue two of my magazine, out 26 September on news stands all over German speaking Europe and not long after, a digital English version will be available to buy online. It’s a lot of work to make magazines, but it’s the most exciting project I’ve ever been on, and I’m loving every minute of it. As I finish up the magazine in boiling weather and no A/C, I am reminded that I must really love my job. :)

I’ll be back later with a lovely home tour.

Hugs,

Holly

(Images: Holly Becker except of closet.)

[SPONSORED by MYCS however ALL opinions and words are my own. I am never paid to “like” something. If I don’t like it, I won’t write about it and the products get returned. With this collaboration, I was only gifted with product, not compensated to write about it. I love the product and am happy to share this brand with my fans and friends.]

Hi friends how are you today? I want to ask you something. Where do you shop the most for home decor? Do you shop big box mostly? Online? Offline? Handmade? Vintage? I buy mostly from small brands in Scandinavian, and sometimes big box for small decorative items, and I make things and lately, I’m buying more and more vintage. What about you? Well today I’d like to spotlight a special online shop called Mae Woven because it’s a lovely small business based out of Utah that designs and makes special products locally and who work with artisans to design products from other parts of the world.

Here are some things that I found on-trend and just stunning, especially if you love Bohemian Modern style, Natural Style or Global Eclectic. And if you want to support small businesses and artisans, then you have a new shop to fall in love with. :)

Aren’t these textiles and baskets and bags just lovely? I really never tire of this global market style. It’s so stylish and easy going.

Mae Woven on Instagram is also lovely, a fantastic visual diary of their goods with very inspiring lifestyle photography.

It’s so important when you have a small business to use your shop as a platform not only for selling but for educating. Teach your customers about the things they are buying so that an appreciation is laid early on. Then a customer will likely care for the item better and keep it for a longer time. Throw away consumption must end! This has to stop. Create a world where people care about what they buy again and when they don’t mind spending more for something valuable! Do you agree?

Have a lovely day, I’m off to finish a photo shoot for my magazine, the second issue comes out 26 September (eeeee!) and it is so beautiful - I can’t wait to share it here on decor8 in the months to come.

Hey there! It is officially Spring, in fact I just celebrated my birthday last Thursday on the first day of Spring so that’s one date I never forget. I love this time of year (you too???), but it’s not very warm yet where I live so I’m at home a lot doing some low key stuff and planning for my balcony and wintergarten spruce-up which will take place sometime in April. I can’t wait because nothing feels better than evenings out on the balcony with some Rosé and a friend! Am I right or am I right girls?

SO! Today I want to show you some simple and cute wreaths for Spring that I made before my birthday. I’ll admit right now that I’m not the Martha Stewart of wreaths in any sense (oh hell no), but I bet a lot of you are which means that you can use my ideas as sort of a template or springboard to make your own, way cooler, versions.

My wreaths are super simple and cute and can be done in under 30 minutes. That means you can make a few while you Netflix. Also, you can even make them with your children, because they are totally easy enough for a child to make. Yeah, yeah, I know that doesn’t say much for my crafting competence, but whatever (ha ha). Let’s get started.

THE CRAZY BOHO

some beads in natural, dark gray and white (mine are from Sostrene Grene)

nylon transparent cord (the kind you use for making necklaces)

3 white paper ferns (from my DEPOT collection, or make your own by tracing a fern with pencil and cut it out carefully)

TO MAKE:

Make a pattern on the hoop using your yarn, in anyway you like! Do your thing! Then, add some leather cord with beads on it. You can add more than one cord, again, be creative. On the bottom, hang your ferns in different lengths using nylon cord. Could this be any easier?

THE GARDEN PARTY

RECIPE:

Metal hoop, just the cheapest because you cover it anyway

grosgrain ribbon (looks fancy)

butterfly from craft store (or anything you want to use here to “embellish”

dried flowers

wire (that bends easily, is easy to work with using bare hands)

wire cutters (please don’t use your scissors)

scissors

Dried flowers (I’ve used baby’s breath that was dyed first in rainbow colors)

TO MAKE:

Starting at the where you determine the bottom to be, wrap the hoop with ribbon all the way to the top and tie. Then wrap the other side and tie at the top. On the bottom, use wire and create small bouquets of dried flowers in your hand, wrap them with wire, then wire them onto the hoop, slightly layering one “bouquet” over the other. Add three long ribbons to drape, and a butterfly. That’s it.

THE SWEETIE

RECIPE:

Ribbons you love, a good mix

Fabrics, cotton (thin) that tear easily

Scissors

leather cord

beads

Hoop (something cheap, doesn’t have to be pretty, you will cover it anyway)

small piece of slim white yarn

TO MAKE:

This is the most time-consuming out of the 4 wreaths in this post, but it still only took me exactly 30 minutes and a few “F” bombs because the stupid ribbon and wrapping it… well it’s kinda a pain until you get the hang of it and sometimes I’m not that patient. OK. First, wrap ribbon around the hoop, I’ve used satin and found it really easy to wrap. Once the wrapping is finished, determine the length of the fabrics and ribbons. You may need to hold the hoop where you plan to hang it because the furniture around it may determine the length for you. Regardless, once you have an idea of how long you’d like them to hang, start cutting and securing to the hoop. Then, add some leather cords - place some beads on them, and tie at the end in a double knot so the beads don’t slip off (sorry, this is sooooo common sense here, but you know, there is always someone…. ha ha). Next, tie a loop of white yard at the top and hang on a nail. DONE.

THE MINIMALIST

RECIPE:

nylon transparent cord (the kind you use for making necklaces)

grosgrain ribbon in a color you love

2 white paper ferns (from my DEPOT collection, or make your own by tracing a fern with pencil and cut it out carefully)

matte gold hoop (silver looks cheap)

scissors

hot glue + gun

TO MAKE:

Apply the two ferns with hot glue, layering them slightly

Add ribbon to the top

hang from the ceiling on nylon transparent cord so that it moves around a little, which can be strangely pretty and calming

If you try these out, show me on Instagram by using hashtag #MYDECOR8 - I’d love to see how you’ve used my recipes above in your own unique way. Also want to note that my lovely friend Gabi from Mooi Moin in Hannover helped me with the Minimalist wreath shown above, that’s her modeling for me!

I can’t wait to show you my bedroom but most of all, to tell you all about MATRI by Fennobed. What a gem I found! But first, a little background… I travel often enough to say that the best bed in the world is truly your own! There is nothing like coming home to sink into your cozy nest, with your familiar surroundings, linens, and the wonderful feel of your own mattress beneath you. Sadly though, a lot of people (including me until last year), don’t find their bed so cozy or their bedroom so nice to be in. Some prefer a 4 or 5 star hotel over their own bedroom because it’s so well designed and the mattress always feels so wonderful. People travel to be comfortable. Travel at home, I say!

Don’t you just want to sleep like a 5-year-old? Like my little boy shown below?

Isn’t that sad, to think about this, that people escape home to be in a nice surrounding, to feel good?

Shouldn’t YOUR HOME be better than any hotel, spa, or “retreat”? YES! Even if you aren’t rich (who really is!), it’s so important to put aside money until you can afford the bed of your dreams and the bedroom style and design that you love because you know what - WE HAVE ONE LIFE! It’s not to be wasted or to sit around hoping for “some day I will…”. It’s also silly to take vacations when your own bedroom isn’t a personal oasis. Stay home and skip the summer vacation if it means you can use the same money to make your sleep room amazing.

The time is now. Always NOW.

OH, LATTENROST

For several years, since I left the states and my boxspring bed system behind, I have been sleeping on the famous German lattenrost system. It’s a mattress about half the thickness of a US one, on top of wooden slates. They snap at times, and you have to replace the slates. You can break them from all sorts of things, your child decides to jump on the bed, you have a really wild night with your partner (!), you simply get into bed too fast or fall in on the “wrong” angle, like with your knee, and CRACK.

Sure, you can get varying degrees of "lattenrost”, the cheap college version are ones you can order at IKEA or Amazon, but you can level up to get systems that are not made of wood at all but of flexible plastic lattenrost. And okay, those are fine and lots of people are having great times on the high quality lattenrost. BUT, at the end of the day, they are still NOT a boxspring with a mattress on top which is, to me, the ultimate, superior, sleep system. Plus, when you grow up used to a boxspring, there is no going back.

WHY LATTENROST?

Funny fact, in Germany at most hotels, it’s always a boxspring system that you sleep on. Why? I asked around and found out that it is because they last the longest, are the most durable and definitely give the best sleep. So why are German homes filled with lattenrost? Honestly, I think it comes down to affordability FIRST and what you’re used to using SECOND. It’s cultural, like beer and currywurst, and you usually don’t question something that people have been doing and using for a million years because, well, it works.

MY “DUH” MOMENT

But for me, this sleep system did not work for my back or my posture. I woke up a lot of mornings with numbness in my legs or feet. I thought I was getting some major illness. I dealt with back pain on and off since I moved to Germany but it didn’t occur to me that it was the support system BELOW the mattress. DUH. I bought new mattresses several times, blaming the mattress over and over again. It wasn’t ever the mattress. It was the lattenrost system in general. I started with the wooden ones and graduated to the plastic, more designer kind… But it still didn’t do anything. My back health still suffered.

Last year, I was in Finland at a big design fair called HABITARE and I saw a bed by MATRI that I loved and noticed it not only had a gorgeous headboard called LEMPI but an actual BOXSPRING system. I got a little giddy and definitely, excited. I stood there thinking, “Why don’t we have this brand in Germany, and why don’t I have a boxspring system in my home, how do I get one!?”. You can import them, at least last I checked, or buy them in Germany at some stores, but they are usually like 6 figures and that is, well, expensive even for someone like me who will save for months or years for something that I truly love or need.

PLEASE SAVE ME, FINNS!

Anyway, I loved the bed so much that I wrote to them to ask for a collab. They wrote back and before I knew it, they accepted. Matri is an original Finnish bed brand founded in 1986 and the beds are made in mainland Europe by skilled workers but, the best part for me is that the model I wanted was 100% eco-friendly, no harmful glues or anything at all, so completely allergy-free. I have allergies to glue and all of the stuff most beds are packed with (harmful chemicals, etc.) so I was so happily shocked. But the biggest shock was when they told me that they have a store IN HANNOVER under the name MATRI by Fennobed which is the name the company goes under in Germany. In Finland, they are just known as MATRI.

And yes, what are the chances that their shop where I could giddily bounce on mattresses (to test them), was only 5 MINUTES BY CAR FROM MY HOUSE.

I missed this store somehow in my daily life, but instantly I went and was greeted by the most caring and kind store manager, Basil Mahjoub, who explained all of the bests to me and what was best and what to look for and then we decided on a topper and a headboard… I could even pick the type of legs that I wanted and the height of the legs, and the bed skirt (length, style and color!). And only a few WEEKS later, the bed was IN MY HOME, installed by their team, looking better than I had imagined. But most of all…

GOODBYE FOREVER, LATTENROST

The medieval horror, the lattenrost system, is gone from my life forever. POOF. Never again will I have a bed that makes me sick.

MY HONEST TO GOD REVIEW

I sleep like an angel now. I feel great when I get into bed at night, I read books in bed again, I cuddle my son and read to him there, I even chat on Whatsapp in my bed while using one of those sheet masks on my face while I’m waiting for my toes to dry (pedicure). My room is my cuddle zone, my day spa, it’s where I love to be! I think the danger with loving my bed so much is that I don’t always want to LEAVE IT and “adult” each day, but that’s not a bad problem to have. Getting up each day refreshed and energized feels great, versus with sore legs and a headache or a bad shooting pain in my back like before. And those days of horrible sleep nights and waking up sore are gone now and I’m so happy.

WANNA SEE?

Here is my bedroom below. I want to paint the walls and change the colors and the pendant and add blinds and change the rug, you know because I am ready to imagine the room differently now that I have a new bed to sleep on. I love my nightstands, lamps and my bed - those elements will stay for years and years. Especially that bed, OH YES. It’s all MINE. Travel at home!

PLEASE REPEAT AFTER ME…

If I can say anything about having a quality bed it is this, repeat after me, SAVE UP AND BUY A DAMN GOOD BED. Don’t settle. Even if you have to save up for a year, do it. It’s an investment, because you can keep a good mattress and boxspring like mine for 10 years - maybe more if you take good care of it.

Make your home, and especially your bedroom, a haven. And with a bed like this, you really can. The downside is… 4 and 5 star hotels don’t impress me anymore because I prefer my own bedroom better. That’s rather nice though, isn’t it?

Thank you Matri by Fennobed for giving me a 5 star sleep system at home, I love it!

(Photographs: Holly Becker)

This post is sponsored by Matri by Fennobed. All words, photos, thoughts and the review is my own opinion. Everything that I selected for my bed was 100% my choice, and everything I said about the bed is the truth, you can believe it! I would never partner with or share a product that I don’t love. Thank you!

Hello my dear friends! I am really speechless at the moment because I have such amazing news to share with you, that I’ve been wanting to share for a few weeks now but I’ve been so busy at launch parties and celebrations around my NEW magazine and my NEW home collection at DEPOT that I’ve had so little time to blog.

I love this beautiful wooden pendant in my collection. Everything on the table is also part of the Holly for Depot collection. I’m so proud!

YES, a new magazine (I’ll write about that tomorrow), and a new collection…

But first, the home line! Wow! I am SO happy to report that I have my own collection at DEPOT, which has an online shop and 500 stores in Germany, Switzerland and Austria with their flagship store in Frankfurt. In fact, they threw a big party there for me recently and it was amazing! We had a make-your-own wreath class, a live band, catering with yummy drinks and snacks, and big “Holly Bags” with lots of goodies from my collection inside, along with a copy of my new magazine. I also gave a presentation. I was able to meet some fantastic and inspiring men and women too - fans still in college, and then one of my fans came who is 85-years-old and he wanted a selfie with me, with his flip phone from the 1990’s. It was the cutest moment ever, I wanted to cry. These things touch me so much about in-person meet-ups - the people! It’s always the people that make me the happiest and feel the most joy from my work at the end of the day. Who can I impact in a positive way? Who can I support? Who can I give some happiness to? What can I do with my life to make others feel good at home?

NATURAL NEXT STEPS

Designing collections for the home feels like the next step for me in my career, one of many next steps I’ve taken this year and will take in the years to come. I want to really level up now and show my talent and grow and challenge myself. I also want to pave the way for others. It’s been this way my whole life - others are scared to take risks but I’m a trailblazer - I go for it with or without fear - I don’t care! And then others see this and think, “Hmmmm she DID it, maybe I CAN TOO!” and then others follow my lead. I like being the one to lead because I was born with the character for it - and I believe in many ways this character of wanting to take risks and pave the way is my “gift” so I have to do something positive with it. We all have a gift, some have several, but are you using yours? Do you know what yours are? Once you really hone in on what makes you YOU and what are your gifts in life, you can start to develop yourself and your business truly in the most authentic way. Then Mondays never feel like Mondays and work never feels like work.

Here in Germany, I am definitely a trailblazer in my industry. I don’t get it right all of the time and fail like everyone does, it’s human, but I also don’t stop when I have something that I want or feel I should try. I don’t even care if I’m not “perfect” at it, I just want to try and learn as I go, sharpening my skills, becoming better. And in the end, I love the process of evolving, learning and challenging myself. Doesn’t that fuel everyone though? We all love to learn and grow and be challenged yet lots of people let fear of failure hold them back. Please don’t do that, promise me, change this way of thinking. Start to change the way you look at fear. Start to realize that not trying is failure. Trying IS success regardless of the outcome, because the outcome is out of our control. Once we create or do something and send it into the world, we need to learn to LET GO and see what becomes of it. But we are a success simply for creating it and sending it out there.

It’s like having a child. We create it, we raise the child, we send them off to school, then college, then life. If they fail later or succeed, that’s ultimately out of our control. We do our best. Careers and work are very much the same. Nothing is a sure thing. Everything is a risk. Going out in your car on the highway is a risk, so is flying, so is train travel. But you do it because it’s necessary. If you want to get anywhere, you need to use buses and cars and streets and planes to do that. Same with your career, if you want to get anywhere you have to just do things that put you at risk. But trust me, it gets easier after awhile. It’s like having a fear of flying yet you have family on the other side of the world. You start to lose your fear the more you get on the plane and take those trips. Also, the more you start to think differently about air travel. Mind over body/actions, always.

FIRST INTERIOR BLOGGER COLLECTION

But back to my DEPOT collection. I’m the first interiors blogger/influencer in German-speaking Europe to have a collection in a store, and I’m so proud and excited about this moment, I sometimes cannot believe it! It’s amazing to have this chance, to spread the good vibes around and show products and things that I love and own and use in my own home. I have already heard of other companies now working with bloggers on collections here, so now some really interesting things can happen for others in my field too, and I love this. I want everyone to do what they are meant to do, but most importantly, what is most authentic to them and where their talent lies.

The love and support that I have in my newfound “Heimat”, my home away from home, is so beautiful and rewarding. As you look through this post, you can see photos from my collection and YES, you can find everything you see (except the furniture) in DEPOT brick and mortar stores in Switzerland, Austria and of course, Germany but also shop it online HERE for a very limited time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

ABOUT THE PROCESS

I selected the palette and worked with DEPOT to create a small but lovely collection for anyone - there are literally pieces that all types of people would love - a minimalist (the ceramics), a Danish design lover (the vases), a DIY enthusiast (the paper ferns, you can do anything with them - paint them, dip them in glitter, take them off the wooden stick and turn them into a wreath, lay them down the center of the table, place them in floral arrangements, anything!), a Boho style lover (the rug), the Naturalist (the linen cushion in apricot which is perfect for the bed or on a long bench), the Urban Jungle Plant Lover (the hanging plant pots with faux animal-free leather straps), the color lover (the pillow with the tassels or the glassware), really…. Something for everyone, every home, every age! The rug even looks gorgeous in a girl’s room on the wall or in a guest bathroom (where mine is currently).

I love the ceramics, organic handmade feel, perfect glaze, 3 bowls and 2 dishes. Also love the small tealight holders with the 3 little feet.

The sweetest thing about the collection is that I created it with an American touch and dedicated the collection to my mother, since her favorite color has been peach since the 1980s, when our whole house was full of peach, floral patterns, macrame (she was really into making hanging plant pots) and tons of plants and of course, brass and big mirrors and shiny wallpaper! I’ve toned things down a bit, added a Scandinavian touch, a bit of a Boho flair with definite California vibes.

Napkins, linens, bowls and brushed gold flatware

Each piece is tagged and has my name on the labels sewn into the linens, rug and pillows.

Mini pottery pieces, no two are alike, with 3 feet

I love these linen cushions!

Pillows and rug by the door are from my exclusive collection

Faux leather straps with ceramic pots to hang for the Urban Jungle

Rug for any room of the home, and can easily be machine-washed

Gorgeous batik-print made in India with hand-stitched details on linen

Vases (medium and large are shown) filled with fresh flowers and paper ferns from my collection

I love the table linens, the apricot runner with the pink napkins - they are really gorgeous together.

White paper ferns with wooden sticks

Ferns can be taped to a wall, placed in a vase or laid on a dinner table!

Pillows shown are from my collection, and the little vase with the pink faux-leather band, too.

Orange glassware (perfect for a Brunch table!), faux-leather napkin rings, also look beautiful with the linens.

Lovely rug that is perfect in any spot!

Small vase with faux-leather rose-colored band

The little pottery pieces are perfect for tapas a dips or for tealights and pillar candles.

Buy everything you see today online (they ship to many European countries too) or in stores (just call your local DEPOT first to make sure they have the HOLLY BECKER collection, not all stores have it).

Hello friends, how are you? I want to introduce you to a brand that I found on the Formland fair website about a month before I went to the fair, called SIKA DESIGN. I liked them so much that I selected their Belladonna sofa to be part of my trend corner, SELECTED BY, at Formland earlier this month. If you want to see it, click here or look below at the first image which shows the lovely Belladonna in all of her glory!

Today I thought to share some things from Sika Design with you because the natural style interiors trend is forever a hit and just continues into 2019, with even more sightings of natural materials like rattan, teak and cane, which bring in a a very island, coastal vibe.

I believe a lot of us are trying to create a vacation spot at home - bring in a little Bali or L.A. to our everyday world since, realistically, how many of us can afford running off to exotic destinations on a regular basis? And even if we can afford it, we may not have the time to do it.

The trend to create a home atmosphere that feels like a bit of an escape, or a posh 5 star resort, is quite practical in this sense, don’t you think?

Belladonna sofa / ottoman

You may not want to have rattan, cane and teak in every room, but you can definitely put hints of it here and there and create a nice mix.

Personally, I have a cane headboard in my bedroom and a rattan mirror in my living room, also some rattan/wood pendants in the hallway, and that’s enough for me but it adds enough of that “resort” style to feel authentic and natural in my space. And I love it.

Celia headboard / Fratellino Trolley/ round braided jute rug

Not sure if you knew it, but Sika Design just launched two new headboards that I love - I want to actually spray paint them in petrol, black, red, or white and use them in a hotel design or guest bedroom. They’d be fabulous all lacquered up! Don’t you think?? Even natural, they are just gorgeous. So…. Meet Celia (above) and Natalia (below). They are handmade by skilled artisans in Indonesian and bring in a lot of warmth and charm.

Natalia headboard / Fratellino Trolley

Here are some more things from Sika that I find charming and perfect for any home, any style. And with Spring heavy on my mind, I’m getting interested in creating a cozy wintergarten off of my bedroom - perhaps with Sika furniture, I have to check my budget and see…

Paris chair / Round braided jute rug

Charlottenborg 2-Seater/ Charlottenborg table/ Moroccan carpet

Carlo Bar trolley

Rossini Chairs with armrest / Jute Braided Rug Rectangular rug /

What do you think of this trend, of more natural hand-crafted pieces in the home? Of rattan, cane, teak? Any comments about it?